Forbidden
by Caddaren
Summary: Fighting for some time to herself, Saphira finally convinces Eragon and Islanzadí to let her explore. She flies deep into the desert and discovers an oasis. But when the King's dragon shows up as well, Saphira begins to fall for her arch enemy.   Currently a oneshot, maybe will continue into a small story...


**Saphira x Shruikan oneshot. Enjoy!**

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><p>It had taken her weeks to convince the queen to let her leave Du Weldenvarden on her own. She claimed she needed some alone time to get away from all the elves and humans at once, and Eragon supported her decision after a lengthy discussion. She convinced him it was vital to herself to understand the ways of being a wild dragon, and only after she had experienced what her ancestors did would she return.<p>

That had been six months before, and this time she didn't have to fight as much to leave. It was becoming a routine thing, or so she hoped. It was only when she could truly get away from the two leggers nonsense.

_If only I could live like this, _she sighed, laying her down on the cool stone beneath her. She had taken residence in the same cave as before, and she had set to marking it as hers once again. The air outside was hot and muggy, but she didn't mind. From her perch she could watch everything happening in her little oasis. Strange creatures lived in this part of the dessert, and at first she couldn't believe it herself. She had been flying south, intent on reaching the Beor mountains and taking refuge there, but she had flown right through some kind of mirage.

Some kind of spell kept this place hidden from anyone who happened to make it through the ocean of sand alive. She rumored it be an old dragon nesting ground, and she was right. The cave she rested in was one of dozens, all dotting the side of the high mountain, and they all held old nests and broken eggshells. But unlike the Stone of Broken Eggs, she sensed the past inhabitants left and never came back instead of being slaughtered. She hummed to herself and swung her tail around her body to curl up on the stone ledge, content to lay in the sunlight, waiting.

This time when she arrived at the nesting ground, another unfamiliar scent filled the air. Her cave her been cleaned of old sticks and shells, and the claw marking on the cave mouth were enormous, no where near her paw size. At first she had been terrified and she bolted away, hiding in the back of a smaller cave for two days straight. She had watched the skies for any sign of the giant until she realized, the markings were old as well. Not as old as the other scents, but whoever had left them hadn't been back for weeks.

With that new information, she felt safe enough to stay, leaving her own scents lying around for any dragon who came after her. She dragged her own claws down the smooth rock, leaving gouges that made her proud. She reinvestigated the recent marks and scents, thrilled and terrified anew when she discovered something else.

It had been a male.

She had twirled through the air with joy, roaring and scorching the rocks with her fire, determined to leave her own message that answered his. He had been asking if anyone was out there, and she was! No one else had answered according her nose, which disappointed her yet made her giddy. _A wild dragon! _She had roared, wanting to wait until he came back to his cave once again.

But Eragon had called her mind, stating they were preparing to move on towards the Empire once again, pressing the borders. They were ready to go on the offensive in the war, but they needed her. Islanzadi even had the gall to contact her personally, insisting she come home and fight. Though Saphira was enraged at the idea of leaving her new found haven, she caved to Eragon's soft words and flew back to the Elven capital.

But now she was back, and she was waiting once again. This time she had enforced her position onto them all, sayng she would not come back until she found what she was looking for. She had closed the link between her and Eragon, and shut her mind from the outside world. For the past two weeks, she lived and breathed her oasis and nothing else.

Everyday she check the marking she had left, reminding herself why she wasn't being selfish. She was waiting for him, the male that had answered her a few months before, the same who had left the original message by what she could tell.

_But how long must I wait? _She asked herself again, thinking about Eragon and the war she should've been fighting with him. For all she knew, he could be captured by Galbatorix. Her eyes burst open at that, but she calmed herself. _No, no, Eragon is fine. Quit worrying, silly one. You deserve this, this chance. _

She was about to close her eyes and rest, when something sounded in the distance. Her eyes widened and she raised her head, tilting her head to her better. She inhaled deeply, checking for foreign scents when she caught it. _He's hear! _She cried into her mind, talking to no one, yet she didn't care. She was every where at once, not knowing what to do. She was caught between laying back down and assuming the least threatening position possible or flaring her wings in the sunlight and putting herself on display.

The sounds of heavy breathing below knocked her out of her frenzy. She froze, listening to him smelling her marks and answering keening sounds. She closed her eyes, not daring to look down, and opened her maw, inhaling deeply to steady her nerves. She counted to three before bugling to him, announcing her presence. She reared onto her back legs and spread her wings, flapping a few times to show off her wingspan. She wanted to make the best first impression as she possibly could.

Then she listened, the silence killing her. The animals of the oasis had quieted at her loud call, undoubtably fearing for their lives. She panted slightly, nervous that she did something wrong and scared him off. He answered with a roar that shook the rocks, and she heard massive wings beat, coming closer and closer to her. She tipped her head down and closed her eyes, backing up to give him room to land. The wind from his wings washed over her and along with it came his overwhelming scent. Her mind went on overdrive waiting for him to do something after hearing him land before her. She hoped the ledge was big enough for him to stand comfortably, praying to her ancestor for luck on her quest.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when he pressed his forehead to hers, exhaling heavily right in front of her. She didn't move, not knowing what to do. All she could smell was him, and it was driving her crazy. She couldn't see, she didn't dare open her eyes, so she looked with her nose. Based on his scent she gathered he was between one and a half and two times her size, which ruled out any rider dragons she knew. Without thinking, she pulled her head away and opened her eyes, finally taking in what her mystery male looked like.

She remained frozen, a weight falling onto her conscience, sadness and fear filling her heart. By the color of his scales, she knew who he was. She didn't dare reach out to his mind with hers, so instead she let her voice hang in the mental air between them. _Shruikan. _

His eyes opened to stare straight into hers. She was surprised to find no malice there, only curiosity and relief. His voice rumbled as he answered her, _I do not know your name, blue one, excuse my not addressing you sooner. I was afraid I'd scare you off. _She regarded him silently, surprised when he revealed he was nervous about the same thing she was. On the inside, she was reeling. _This is not fair, I finally found a male and it is the one I cannot touch. _

_Females lead the inspections, blue one, you are free to touch where ever you like, _he reminded her, casting his wings out to the sides for her eyes to take in. It was tradition for the females of their race to inspect the males before vice versa, but he wasn't sure she knew that already.

Saphira pulled her head back, immediately scrutinizing him on instinct. She had received sufficient training from Glaedr about the ways to greet a new dragon, but she had never practiced it. She felt awkward and edgy, but in turn, curious as well. He showed no signs of deceit standing on display for her, submitting with his head ducked below hers and eyes closed. She narrowed her eyes at him and stepped forward, craning her neck up to sniff the crown of his head.

His horns were unlike hers in the way that they curved backwards, but down. She noted some of his spine spikes were missing or chipped, to which she frowned. She checked his neck and chest for signs of irritation, hoping he didn't have bugs. Satisfied he didn't, she moved onto his wings, butting her head against them approvingly at their size and unmarred state. Trailing her way towards his tail, she was suddenly more nervous then before. She fluttered her wings a bit, uncomfortable with this end of his body. She skirted around his groin and instead inspected the tines on his tail. She nudged his tail when she was finished, signaling to him it was permitted to fold his wings in and sit down.

He stared at her, waiting for her name. _You may call me Saphira, _she said, finalizing their meeting. He bowed his head to her and she returned the gesture, but she looked out to the oasis, mind racing. Shruikan looked her up and down, noticing the worry on her face. He sat down beside her.

_I am not who you were expecting, _he glanced at him and shook her head, sighing as she did.

_Not at all, _she admitted. He nodded, thinking about the past six months he spent in apprehension.

_When I first came here, I wasn't expecting anyone. All the dragons had fled long ago. I flew here on a whim, wanting to relive part of my past. I never expected anyone to answer me, let alone the last female in Alagaesia. _He bowed his head to her formally. _It is an honor to meet you, regardless of human affairs. _

This startled her, and she backed away, eying him warily. _What do you mean? _

He ignored her question and instead looked behind them. He raised an eyeridge and looked back to her. _You are in my cave... _Saphira stuttered, eyes widening. She hadn't meant for it to be Shruikan. She thought this was where she'd share his cave and he'd court her for the next few weeks. Then what ever came after that. She backed onto the ledge, preparing to leave him to his cave. Nothing was going according to her plan, she didn't like it at all.

_No, stay, I can find another, _he said, moving past her and spreading his wings to take off. Saphira inched back into the large cave, mind racing once again. She wondered if he could find a cave he could fit in. She watched him drop down the side of the mountain before taking flight. She followed his movements until he disappeared into one of the caves he investigated.

Sighing, Saphira walked back into the cave and laid down. The sun was setting, and she had nothing better to do but sleep. She thought of notifying Eragon, but found she could not. Shruikan had come expecting someone else as well, it would be unfair to ambush him here. Not to mention the oasis felt sacred to her, she'd be damned if she let any humans or elves get in.

The next day she woke up slowly, her eyes fluttering in the bright light. She yawned and stood, stretching herself. She recalled the events of the day before in a whirl and her eyes opened completely. She smelt food, and it was incredibly close by. From the smell of it, he had already made a kill, which surprised her, it was barely sun up. She padded over to the cave opening and was surprised to find a carcass there, neck torn open cleanly and set down carefully, as if on display. She frowned at it, sniffing it cautiously. No one had ever hunted for her; she was uneasy about him feeding her.

She took a nibble and found it just as tasty as any animal she could hunt down for herself. Yet the end of her tail twitched in happiness; she didn't mind being pampered, and no one every treated her in such a way. She grinned toothily and dug in, making sure to move the remains out onto the ledge for him to see and know the gesture was appreciated in full before she moved back into her temporary home.

And thus began their dance. He continued to bring her breakfast everyday for the next week or so, sometimes adding a second carcass to her meal. He tried to bring a variety of different animals from all across the oasis, hoping not to bore her. And she, in turn, started to return the favor when she felt safe enough around him. The first time she had brought him a meal at sunset, he had already eaten. He had started to speak with her but she quickly retreated, feeling too awkward to stick around so she dashed away. She had flown about the oasis all day, over thinking and over analyzing their dance.

It wasn't until a week later, after she had gotten used to bringing him supper and relaxed a bit, that they began to engage in actual conversations. At first it was idle chit chat, meaningless talk as they both assessed and observed the other. The next day, they engaged in more meaningful talk, and the day after that, she was actually sitting and eating with him. When the sun set and it came time to leave like she normally would, a certain nervousness hung in the air. For the first time that whole evening, she hadn't known what to do. He offered her to stay and sleep next to him for the night as gently as he could, but she thought better of it and left.

The next morning, she awoke to him leaving her usual meal on the ledge. Instead of waiting for him to leave, she padded out to speak with him. _Would you... like to spend the day with me? _She asked, ducking her head slightly. He pressed his forehead to hers for the second time.

_I'd be honored to, _he responded. Saphira looked up into his eyes and stared for a moment, searching for something. Until then, she hadn't really noticed how bright his eyes were, she had always assumed they'd be black like the rest of him. Instead, they swirled like molten gold. She could get lost in those eyes, and she almost did. Blinking several times, she broke the contact and ruffled her wings.

_Right, _they both whispered awkwardly. Saphira couldn't fight the heat that rose to her face, and little did she know that Shruikan was thankful for his dark scales that instant. She glanced down at the meal he brought her but politely ignored it, pushing it aside for later. She planned on taking him hunting later, as she was curious how he hunted, so she wouldn't go hungry.

They spent the day together, she showed him the tastiest animals to eat (in her opinion) and he showed her practically everything else in the oasis. She found herself smiling throughout the day, and when he accidentally flew into a tree, she laughed until her sides hurt.

_Are you alright?_ She asked, giggling as she pushed the splintered remains away from his head and neck. He winced as he sat up, but she scented no blood. Carefully plucking the branches away, she continued to chuckle. Shruikan, on the other hand, found it a little less amusing. He grumbled and rubbed his skull with the pads of his forepaws, rolling over onto his stomach.

_I think the day is over, black one, I need to get you home. _She stated firmly, pressing her shoulder to his to help him stand. He wobbled a bit but held himself up with her support. _Can you fly? _

He nodded, and quickly regretted the action. _I can. _He unfolded his wings above her, his face scrunching up in pain. He ignored it long enough for them to both fly back to his cave, and settled himself down on the cool stone with a sigh. His head was pounding softly and the pain had faded from his forehead. He closed his eyes.

She didn't know why, but she felt bad about leaving him. She knew he wasn't in that much pain, he might have a bump the following day, but nothing too serious. She still didn't want to leave him, it felt wrong. She craned her head down and inspected his head, sniffing the damaged area. Still no blood, and with his dark scales it was difficult to find the bruising she knew was there.

She found his eyes staring back at her, the slight pain still apparent, but curiosity was evident as well. Not knowing what she was really doing, she licked his forehead. He fought the urge to wince, taking the gesture for what it was worth, and offered her his wing. She stared at the empty space available to her, and thought of sleeping snugly covered by such a wing. She took a step forward, _it would be nice not to be the one protecting for once._

So she laid down beside him, nervous at first, yet lulled by the heat that radiated off his body. She hummed quietly, absentmindedly leaning against his side as she fell asleep. She heard him shift his wing to settle firmly over her, and sigh heavily, close to sleep as well. She rested her head on his forearm, eyes fighting to stay open, and just barely saw him lay his head next to hers.

When she awoke, the sun was barely rising, its rays only beginning to shine into the cave. She shifted a bit before sensing something covering her, her eyes opened and the first thing she saw was Shruikan's muzzle. Her vision focused and she remembered the day before. She suddenly grew sad, knowing they couldn't keep this up for long. _He has responsibilities with the Empire and Galbatorix, I have my own with Eragon and the Varden, _she whimpered softly, unknowingly awakening Shruikan. _Eragon would have a field day if he ever saw me with the King's dragon. _

Shruikan's body rumbled, a giant, rough sound, _and why is that, blue one? _He was amused at the idea of her being so worried about what her rider thought of whatever they were doing, whatever _this _was. Saphira looked down to the stone floor, heat rising to her face. _Oh, don't be embarrassed, young one, curiosity is not a sin, I'm sure your rider would understand. _

Saphira wasn't so sure_, Nasuada would blow a gasket. _Shruikan frowned, not liking her being so down on herself. After all, he didn't plan on letting her go back for a while, so why let her worry so much. He did something instinctual before he knew what he was doing: he licked her cheek. _It will be alright, blue one, _he promised.

She froze, looking up at him, but all he did was lay his head back down next to hers and stare back at her. Saphira didn't know how to respond, so she merely situated to fall back to sleep. She shifted her body closer to his, but he didn't point it out to her. Instead he grinned, closed his eyes, and wrapped his wing around her once again.

When she woke the second time, Shruikan's form rumbled softly beside her. _He must be in a deep sleep, _she thought, _for him to be snoring. _She found the sound amusing, and strangely cute. As she went to stand and creep out from under his wing, the cover tightened down on her and he growled gently, still sleeping. She frowned, nudging into him to get him to move. As soon as she shoved into him a bit harder his eyes shot open and he swung his head around to stare at her.

_Oh, right... _She assumed he had thought he was under attack, unless he was used to company as he slept, of course. She frowned at the thought and pushed her way out from under his wing, eager to start the day. He rolled onto his feet and followed her, quite happy with himself as he had gotten her to sleep beside him. It was a feat worthy of a small happy dance, which he would perform when no one was around.

They sat on the ledge looking down into the jungle they called home for the moment. It could sustain them, but they were planning on staying much longer. the idea of returning to their responsibilities made them both fidget. _ I still have so much to do, _Saphira thought, and Shruikan was thinking the same thing. _I still want to live like a wild dragon would, without a care in the world, and these constant thoughts of Eragon aren't helping... Eragon... _She whined, missing the boy that she had shared her life with up until three weeks ago. Now she felt guilty about leaving him alone, but she still did not wish to leave. Shruikan glanced at her and nudged her with his wing.

_Thinking about home? _Saphira looked up at him sadly, and nodded slightly before returning her gaze to the ground. Her mind was all over the place, she was lost and had no idea what to do. She didn't not like these strange feelings, the foreign quivering in the pit of her stomach and the nervous tension whenever he sat so close. She had to constantly remind herself he was the King's dragon, but the thought did little to quiet the alien feelings as of late. The scary idea had lost it's potency, the poison no longer stung.

_I'm just... confused... about this, _she answered him truthfully, and saw the way his face softened at her words. That was another thing that puzzled her; what exactly was he aiming for? She merely had to guess and heat rose to her face. _Although, _she admitted, _that's kind of why I came back, wasn't it? The possibility of a male... But, this male? _Saphira asked herself, looking up into his eyes. The same uncertainty she knew was on her face was in his gaze, and she realized he was just as lost as she. _Maybe... we can be lost... together, _she breathed, and suddenly she rubbed the top of her head to his neck, emitting a sound she didn't even know she could produce. She had no idea what it meant, but she could guess.

Then she dove off the ledge and flared her wings, rising into the sky in one fluid movement. She heard the thunder from his wings as he chased after her, and instantly Saphira knew what she should do. So she inhaled deeply and dropped like a rock, closing her eyes and just listening to the wind in her ears. She checked the her descent and saw his giant shadow on the ground below, and knew the game had begun. _Catch me, _she dared him and flared her wings, shooting back up into the sky as he started in surprise.

Their game of cat and mouse led them across the sky throughout the course of the day. Saphira found herself watching Shruikan more and avoiding him less. In a rare moment of pure courage, she flew underneath him and rubbed her backside against his stomach. Smirking as she glanced back to see his reaction, she watched those giant ebony wings pump to catch up to her. Giddy, she slowed and began to fly around him, first in big loops that grew into tight circles. She had no idea what she was doing really, but it was something.

She continued to encircle him as he returned the favor, and soon they were twirling around each other. The light brushes of their scales made her hide burn, a scalding feeling that felt better than laying in the sun all day. Though the suns rays did beat down onto their skin, she knew it wasn't that. She couldn't begin to imagine what they looked like, a mass of blurred blues and blacks glittering in the sun. At the picture in her mind, she sensed it was time to change their dance up a bit, and left him, speeding higher into the sky until the high altitude made her stomach flutter. In a flash he was in front of her, and she just stared at him, not knowing what made her fly so high.

Swiftly dropping through the air again, this time she extended her back legs out and much to her surprise, he appeared in front of her to lock his claws to hers. Making it clear neither of them were about to let go, they began to spin wildly, wings tucked tightly to their backs. The ground grew dangerously close, but strangely she didn't want to be the first to let go. It was only when he moved to remove his talons from hers that she disengaged as well, and together they flared their wings and dived in opposite directions, skimming the ground until she slowed enough to safely land.

Saphira's heart pounded in her ears and it was the only thing she could her. Her breath came in great pants, her limbs trembling from the rush the fall had given her. Her wings fluttered, and she was suddenly aware of the immense heat in the pit of her stomach that spread dangerously until it covered her head to tail. Something pushed her thoughts back to her cave and she shuddered, knowing she needed to return before something was lost.

Her mind on auto pilot, she landed at the base of the mountain that held her cave and the many others. She swung her head side to side, looking for something as soft keening sounds came from the back of her throat. She chuffed lightly, sniffing the air desperately for something, someone. Sad that she could not find him, she almost gave up, the feeling covering her body fading slightly until a booming thud signaled his landing behind her. She whined, not sure whether to be mad or happy with him, and began brushing herself up against his sides.

Upon hearing the sounds he made for her, the end of her tail twitched in excitement. She continued to rub herself against him as his noises grew loud until sound echoed over the rocks and the whole oasis could hear his throaty murmurs. Feeling more daring, she ducked under one of his front legs and dragged herself across his stomach, even rutting her head under his chin as she went.

This time when she took flight and landing on the ledge to her cave, he was right behind her, eyes watching her every move as she disappeared into the dark as the sun faded behind him. Shruikan took one step, hesitant, then went after her. As his golden eyes adjusted to the dark she began to rub up against him again, her movements slow and purposeful. He rumbled from deep in his throat in response and nudged her as she pranced around him.

Whining at him, Saphira rutted her head to his and slipped herself underneath his chest, the spikes on her back furrowing into his scales in an unexpected but not undesirable effect. He growled at her, not out of malice, but tension. She slid under him against and came to rest under his chest, craning up to nip and lick at his muzzle. Practically purring at her, Shruikan dipped his head down and returned the favor, nibbling at the scales on her face and trailing down the back of her neck.

It was Saphira's turn to whine and she wiggled her body a bit, darting away from him instinctually when he hovered closer to her. Shruikan growled in need but she was right back to sliding underneath him within seconds, repeating the same process. She shook him off a second time, albeit a lot gentler than the first. Shruikan growled and rumbled at her impatiently but she knew this was how the game went.

When she rested her body underneath his a third time, she had no intention of moving away from him again. He purred at her as she laid down beneath him, nipping the back of her neck as she rumbled at him. Shruikan placed his front legs behind hers and boxed her in slightly, nudging her tail aside with his thigh.

Saphira's heart pounded and she closed her eyes, growling a warning at him but completely certain of herself. She was inexperienced and knew he was not, so she trusted him to know exactly what to do. When he clamped his jaws onto the back of her neck to keep her in place suddenly she didn't have time to react before she was roaring her surprise and pain.

Shruikan growled at her but still himself, knowing the first few minutes would hurt her. When her body began to relax, he purred at her, hopeful, and loosened his grip on her neck that kept her from darting out from under him before they were finished. His arm muscles tightening, he slowly pulled back, earning a whine.

Closing her eyes again as his speed gradually picked up, Saphira allowed herself to let go. No thoughts of Eragon poisoned her mind and no worries of life outside this cave plagued her. She let go of everything else until her mind was only filled with one thing: Shruikan. His clamp on her neck finally released, she nipped at his jaw with delight.

Shruikan purred at her a bit before returning his attention to their lovemaking. After a few minutes they roared together and Shruikan halted his movements, panting. Saphira crooned and shifted her body side to side, savoring the feeling. Shruikan rumbled at her and proceeded to lick her neck happily, thanking her for letting him mate with her. As far as he was concerned, he was in heaven.

Lifting himself out and off of her, he rumbled again and nudged her side, hoping he had impressed her. Saphira grinned lazily, rubbing herself against his side like before just not as suggestively. Content with their mating and utterly exhausted, she laid down next to him and fell asleep to Shruikan purring and licking her neck.

She awoke when the sunlight made it's way into her cave. Finding herself alone, she growled, unhappy at him leaving. Not knowing whether to be angry or sad, she perked up when she heard him land on the ledge outside. She jumped to her feet and padded over to see him setting down a second deer in front of her and heard his rumbling. She purred at him as she sniffed the carcasses before pressing her forehead to his.

_Mine? _She asked, uncertain on where they went from here. He smiled and snuck his tongue out to lick her chin gently.

_Yours. _

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><p><strong>This one of the things I've been working on whenever I had spare time (and had no access to my home computer for DLS, of course) basically this is my favourite Inheritance pairing. Ever. So I've been wanting to write something like this for a while because it's not going to happen anytime soon in Dirty Little Secrets (aww)<br>So yeah, tell me what you think! My first try at writing anything remotely sexual, so it's very vague. heh...  
><strong>


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